The present invention generally relates to a cable connector and more specifically to a cable connector having a terminal with improved reliability.
Flexible flat cables such as flexible printed circuits (FPC), flat flexible cables (FFC) or the like are typically connected to circuit boards by using cable connectors, such as FPC connectors or FFC connectors. (Refer, for example, to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. 2000-106238).
As shown in the FIG. 10, the cable connector has a housing 811 formed of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin and a plurality of terminals 851 formed of a conductive material such as metal and held in the housing 811. On the upper surface of the housing 811, an actuator 821 formed of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin is disposed. The actuator 821 is pivotably attached to the housing 811 and configured to be rotated between an open position shown in the drawing and a closed position (not shown).
Each terminal 851 has a contact portion 852 that is opposed to one surface (the lower surface in FIG. 10) of a flat flexible cable 901 and a pivot shoulder portion 853 having a concave portion 854 that is opposed to the other surface (the upper surface in FIG. 10) of the flat flexible cable 901.
Actuator 821 includes a recess 823 and a shaft portion 822 formed at a position corresponding to the pivot shoulder portion 853 of each terminal 851. The pivot shoulder portion 853 is inserted into recess 823 to mount the actuator 821 on the cable connector so that the shaft portion 822 thereof is accommodated in the concave portion 854. As a result, the actuator 821 can be pivotally rotated relative to the housing 811 about the shaft portion 822.
As shown in FIG. 10, the flat flexible cable 901 is inserted into the housing 811 through an opening 812 therein with the actuator 821 at the open position thereof. Once the flat flexible cable 901 has been fully inserted into the opening 812, the actuator 821 is rotated by an operator's finger or the like to the closed position thereof. As a result, the flat flexible cable 901 is pressed downward by the actuator 821, and contact pads (not shown) on the lower surface of the flat flexible cable 901 are brought into electrical contact with a contact portion 852 of each terminal 851.
However, in the conventional cable connector, when the flat flexible cable 901 is connected, foreign material adhering to the flat flexible cable 901 might enter the opening portion 812 of the housing 811 and become engaged between a contact pad on the lower surface of the flat flexible cable 901 and the contact portion 852 of the terminal 851. In such a situation, the contact pad will fail to be electrically connected to the contact portion 852 of terminal 851.
Some connectors have used a pair of contact portions so that electrical connection may continue even when foreign material becomes lodged between one of the contact portions and the contact pad of the flat flexible cable 901. However, if 15. the foreign material is large in size, one of the contact portions may be displaced away from the contact pad so far that the other contact portion is also displaced away from the contact pad. This results in either poor or no electrical contact between the terminal and the contact pad.